Howl and Sophie's New Life
by HowlAndSophie4ever2gether
Summary: Howl and Sophie deeply love each other, but with Howl's new "friend", Sophie questions his love for her.
1. Their Love

As I hurried my way towards my bedroom, I slipped into Sophie's bedroom. Her silver hair was spread across the pillow. I kissed her forehead lightly.

Sophie's eyes fluttered open, revealing her beautiful chestnut colored eyes. "Howl," she whispered my name. I smiled. "Oh, Sophie. I didn't mean to wake you up." She closed her eyes again. "That's alright."

I wrapped my arms around her, slowly pulling her out of bed. Finally, she fell into my arms, her nightgown falling to her ankles. Just this once, I wanted her in my own bed.

I pulled her into into my bed. She nuzzled sleepily into my pillow. As I climbed in, she nuzzled towards my chest. I stared into her eyes until they started to close. Then, I decided it was time to rest.

I awoke with a start. _Where was Howl?_ The bed next to me felt empty. I crawled out of bed when suddenly I heard a shout. I easily recognized it as Howl. He sounded hurt.

I rushed downstairs to see Howl lying unconscious on the table. "Markyl, what happened," I asked. Calcifer tried to burn the castle down. When Master Howl tried to stop him, Calcifer burned him. Shocked, I looked over at Calcifer. He was smirking at me evilly. "Get outside. Bring Heen and Howl with you." Markyl quickly grabbed his dog and dragged Howl outside by his hand. "Now Calcifer," I barely managed to say before a ball of fire whizzed past my shoulder. Before I knew it, my whole body was engulfed in flames. Suddenly, a splash of water came of Calicifer and I. The fire demon disappeared, gone forever. I turned around to see Markyl waiting in the doorway with an empty bucket of water. "Thank you I said before rushing to check on Howl.

He lay face-down in the grass. I slowly turned him over. I brushed his raven-colored bangs out of his eyes, revealing scorch marks and ash. Surprisingly, his hands were still warm. My crept under his shirt and to his chest to check for a heartbeat. When I found none, fear washed over me. _Howl was dead! _Tears slid down my cheeks. I dug my face into his shirt, trying to dry them. I was so upset, I didn't hear Howl's soft breathing.

I woke suddenly. There was something laying on my stomach. Something shaking. _Sophie._

As I stroked her hair, her sobs grew louder. When she looked up, her eyes grew wide. Flinging her arms around me, Sophie held me tight.

Patting her back, I whispered "Oh Sophie."

In a shaky voice, she replied, "I thought you were dead."

"I'm here."

She hugged me tighter, and kissed my cheek. Laughing, I led her inside.

_I love this feeling._ Howl was holding me by my waist, staring at me with his beautiful blue eyes. I rested my hands on his chest.

Suddenly, he let go. Kneeling to the ground, he pulled out a small box. My heart skipped a beat. Howl wanted to marry me! "Sophie," he said. "I love you with all my heart. You are my world, my love, my beautiful little mouse. And hopefully soon, my wife.

My eyes grew wide. Throwing my arms around Howl, I said, "Of course, Howl!" And with a smile on his face, he replied, "Good, because I've already planned everything. We will be wed tomorrow. I smiled.

This was perfect. Just perfect.

I fastened my bow tie around my neck. It was blue, like my eyes. Sophie was always telling me how much she loves my eyes. I smiled. Finally, I was ready to be married.

I stood at the alter, waiting._ Where was Howl? Did he change his mind?_ Just as these fearful thoughts entered my head, Howl strode in, almost shining with beauty. He walked up to me, and kissed my hand.

Sophie looked wonderful in her long, white dress. With sparkling eyes, she rested her head on my shoulder, listening to the preacher's long lecture.

"I do," her voice rang out. "And do you Howl Pendragon take Miss Sophie Hatter as your lawfully wed wife. I blinked. This was really happening.

"I do."


	2. Claire the Wonderful

I stood in Howl's doorway watching him. He was staring out the window. His bold gazed fixed on a pretty girl, with curly chestnut hair. "She's here early," he muttered rushing past me.

Sophie always expects the worst from me. I hate it. Claire and I were only friends. I heard Sophie weeping on the stairs. It didn't help when Claire called me "Howlie." I didn't know what happened next. Sophie rushed out the door. "Excuse me," I whispered, trying to hold back tears. "I need to find my wife."

I ran, as fast as I could. "Sophie!" Howl called. All I wanted was to be away from him. I tried to climb the nearest tree, but fell ten feet above he ground. Right into Howl's arms.

Sophie kicked and screamed. I couldn't take it anymore. "Sophie, I love you," I told her gently. She replied with a painful slap to the face. I almost dropped her, but caught her at the last minute. She took the opportunity to kick me off balance. I fell into the mud, staining my clothes. I coud feel tears drip down my cheek. I tried to wipe them away, but only got mud on my face. My life was over.

I was lost, but I didn't care. As long as I never saw Howl again. My eyes welled with tears. Suddenly, I saw Howl, covered in mud and green slime. I knew the slime well from his tantrum, so long ago. He was sobbing. My anger turned to pity. Poor Howl. I stroked his black hair, just like he did to me when I was upset. His eyes opened. Howl didn't even smile. "I guess you're here to hurt me more," I could barely make out his words. Howl needed help, and fast. "Oh, Howl." I kissed him softly on his lips. Slowly a smile spread across his face.

My back ached. My clothes were slimy and muddy. But the only person on my mind was Sophie. I saw her angelic face kissing me. It was a dream, I thought I knew. But when she helped me stand, I realized it wasn't. Her dress was stained with my tears."Sophie," I whispered. "Shh... It's time to go home now... Just rest..." And with that I fell asleep, with Sophie pulling me along by my arms.


	3. Trapped in Claire-Land

I dug my fingers through Sophie's short hair. It was soft and fluffy, but not as silky as mine. She looked up from her book and smiled at me. I lightly kissed her cheek. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Opening it, I saw the woman whom I never thought or wanted to see again.

It was Claire. Howl's stupid girlfriend. I tried to tell myself to forget her, to forgive Howl. After all, he was miserable without me. But now, Claire as here, dazzling in her green dress and matching hat and shoes. She smiled at Howl with those evil chocolate colored eyes. He grimaced. Good. If Howl loved her, he would stop loving me. And that was the greatest of my fears.

"Oh, Howlie!" Claire exclaimed, clinging to me. "Long time, no see. I missed you." "Excuse me," I said calmly. "My wife and I are in the middle of something." I said wife extra loudly, so she knew I wasn't interested. "I can fix that," Claire replied, pushing past me. She pointed her long, slender finger at Sophie. Sophie screamed. I ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. But, they slowly disappeared beneath my hands.

I found myself in a wasteland. _Was this a dream?_ "Howl!" I cried out, knowing there would be no answer. "Claire's face appeared above me. "Oh, lookie here. Sophie's found her way into my wastes snow globe." "Let her go!" Howl's face made my heart ache. "You know I won't, Howlie. And if you don't do what I say, or try or hurt me, I will smash this snow globe and make your precious little Sophie gone." "Nooooooo!" Howl screamed "oh yes, dear,"Claire laughed. "Oh yes."

I felt warm tears on my face, staring into the tiny ball that imprisoned my loved one. "Master Howl!" Markyl cried. "What's going on? Where'a Sophie? Why is there a strange lady here? And... are you crying?" I tried to wipe the tears from my cheeks, but Markyl had already seen them. This was the first time he'd seen me cry. _Poor boy._ "Markyl," I said sadly. "This lady has kidnapped Sophie. Do as she says or she will harm her." Markyl nodded solemnly. He understood. Things were starting to look better, when Claire's voice rang out, "Oh Howlie dear, I believe it's time for my bath. Your warm hands will do nicely rubbing soap on my back."

I heard her words clearly. She wanted Howl to give her a bath. "Say no! I don't care about if I die. Please don't make my heart break!" I wanted to shout, but I couldn't. The glass roof blocked out all of my words. I saw Howl's eyes, so big from inside here, look from me to Claire. I gave him a begging look. He tilted his head in confusion. Then, I got an idea. Howl looked closer as I wrote my words in large letters in the dirt. I could feel myself suddenly shaking. My prison was being shook. I felt a hand smash the glass around me. It stung my arms and legs. Then, there was nothing.

_What have I done, _I thought. _I killed Sophie! I smashed the snow globe she was in. _Loud cackling surrounded me. Claire was so different from when I knew her years ago. But now, she had crossed the line. I used her magic to push her out of the castle and locked the door behind me. "Goodbye, Claire!" I called after her.

I lay on the floor. The real floor. The shards of glass cut through my dress and scratched my back. I could barely make out an outline of Howl, coming towards me. I needed sleep. So I fell asleep, feeling myself being lifted into Howl's arms.

When, I saw Sophie, I was overjoyed. I slipped her into my bed, staining my sheets with blood. Without thinking, I tore off her dress. After cleaning and bandaging her back, slipped her into a clean nightgown. I quickly changed my the bed sheets, so they were clean. I tucked Sophie in, and watched her sleep soundly. She was like an angel. My angel.


	4. Closer Together

**OMG! Claire's back! This is like, so intense!**

**...**

My dreams were filled with Claire. Her wicked smiles and cackles awoke me for the third time. I was in a clean nightgown. Howl must have changed my clothes. Blushing, I stared beyond the bed sheets. Howl was still sitting in a chair by my bed, wide awake. He smiled. "Can't sleep, huh?" I told him about my awful dreams. He stroked my hair softly, and whispered, "Dreams are sometimes scarier than reality." I smiled. Howl suddenly frowned. "Wait here," he said kindly. As he rushed downstairs, I heard yelling.

Claire dazzled me with a beautiful ruby colored dress. Her hair cascaded down her back. I blinked _She'a beautiful_, I thought _Much more beautiful than ugly old Sophie. Wait a minute._ I loved Sophie. "Stop messing with my thoughts!" I screamed, throwing a vase at Claire. "Oh, Howlie," she responded smoothly. "I've been waiting forever for the day you lost your temper." She used her magic to fix the vase and place back on the cabinet "In fact, I think I've found your weak spot," she said, as she turned and coolly walked out, just as Sophie ran downstairs.

I knew I wasn't supposed to be downstairs. But I heard Claire and I could tell Howl was angry. I just couldn't help myself. "What did she do to you?" I asked, wrapping my arms around Howl. "Nothing for you to be concerned about, my little angel." he replied. "But please, get dressed. I believe she'll be back very soon."

I pulled on a yellow sundress and hurried back downstairs. Howl was staring at me. "What is it," I asked. "You look beautiful," he gasped. "But please, change. The uglier the dress, the better. Claire will try to use your beauty against you." "Oh. Alright," I said, rushing upstairs. Just as I pulled off my dress, I heard a knock at the door. "I'm a little busy," I called. "I'll be out in a minute. The door slammed open. Howl ran in and locked the door. I screamed, and tried to hide my naked chest with the sheets. Howl looked surprised. "I'm sorry. Claire's become more powerful than I expected. I needed a place to hide."

Sophie was shy and timid, I knew from experience. But here she was, hiding her body from my view. "Sophie it's alright," I said softly. "No, it's not," she sniffed, and to my surprise, burst into tears. I rested my hands on her bare shoulders, but that made her wail harder. Instead, I went to her closet, and picked out the ugliest dress I could find. It was grey, with many patches and stains. She grabbed it from me, and hurriedly pulled it over her head, leaving her chest exposed for several precious seconds. I sighed and opened the door.

I felt much more comfortable with a dress on, even though it was thin and ugly. Howl rested his hands back on my shoulders, which I liked better now than I did when they weren't covered by cloth. Claire appeared, knocking Howl away from me. "Well, well well. Looks like to lovers had a special moment together." I could feel myself blushing. Even Howl's face was turning a bit red. Claire was obviously enjoying this.

Poor Sophie. She's blushing like mad. Maybe I shouldn't have been so eager with her. I shyly tucked a loose strand of black hair behind my ear. "Claire I believe you're trespassing in my home. please leave." I said confidently. "Make me," she whispered slyly. I pushed out of the door with full force, and closed the door behind her.


End file.
